Artest’s agent, David Bauman, confirmed those suspicions to the Los Angeles Times, calling the entire affair a “publicity stunt,” among other things:

“I’m his agent and nothing has come across my desk,” Bauman said. “Although Ron has asked me to explore all options over in Europe in the event of a prolonged lockout, there are several legal and business considerations that have to be addressed. The biggest one involves insurance. None of those have been addressed and I don’t even know who this guy claiming to have an agreement is. Final thing is what if the league has a lockout for say two weeks and then end up getting a deal. It becomes a moot point.”

Artest currently has a three-year, $21-million contract remaining with the Lakers, making the possibility to play overseas during a possible lockout even more difficult. NBA Commissioner David Stern has publicly maintained players are free to play overseas during a possible lockout, but International Basketball Federation rules require teams to honor contracts signed in other leagues.

“The whole notion strikes me as a publicity stunt,” Bauman said. “Nothing has come across my desk. Ron has asked me to look into options in Europe, but certainly not with a small team in Finland.”

hahahaha you just made my day man. and it’d be so true… if the lockout happens but is only a few months(2-3ish) then players who sign year long PLUS contracts with overseas teams will be up the creek without a paddle. i say wait it out, workout and make yourself a better player and show it when the lock out ends, if there is one.

It would be nice to see the americans NBA all-star players playing overseas. But, of course, in good teams, like, for example, Kobe playing for Milan, like his father did. It would be great for basketball worldwide If the big nba players, got out a little bit.